This invention relates to apparatus for weighing fluent solid materials which are conveyed from a material supply station to a material discharge station and more particularly to a fail-safe conveying system which will insure delivery of feed to the discharge station if all or a portion of the weighing apparatus is disabled.
Animal feeding systems have been provided for distributing feed to a plurality of feed stations. It is important that the operator know precisely the amount of feed that is being fed. Systems of the type disclosed herein include a conveyor line having an auger which conveys feed in a downstream path of travel to a poultry house and a weighing assembly to weigh the feed such that the operator has an accurate account of the feed being dispensed. If the feed weigher assembly is installed in series circuit with the conveyor line, delivery of feed to the poultry house will be interrupted if the weighing assembly is disabled. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel feed conveying system including a weighing assembly for weighing the feed connected in parallel circuit with a portion of the conveying line.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fail-safe feed conveying and weighing system which removes the feed from an upstream portion of a feed supply auger, weighs the feed, and returns the weighed feed to a portion of the feed supply auger downstream of upstream portion for continued travel to a chicken house.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an in-line conveyor and feed weighing and bypass mechanism for causing the feed to bypass a portion of the in-line conveyor and weighing the feed and then returning the feed to the conveyor, the conveyor being operative to convey feed past the feed weighing and bypass mechanism in the event that the feed weighing and bypassing mechanism is inadvertently rendered inoperative.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide conveying and weighing apparatus of the type described which is confined within a predetermined space envelope.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of conveying fluent solid material from a supply station to a weighing station, weighing the material at the weighing station, discharging the weighed material to a discharge station, and bypassing the weighing station by conveying other material from the supply station past the weighing station in the event that the weighing step is inadvertently interrupted.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.